U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,492 to Chao et al. discloses and claims an apparatus and method for DRY CLEANING OF GARMENTS USING LIQUID CARBON DIOXIDE UNDER AGITATION AS CLEANING MEDIUM. The '492 patent does not illustrate a compressor which is used in a reclaim mode.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,759 to Stanford, Jr. et al. discloses sonication cleaning using megasonic energy. The '759 patent does not include equipment to reclaim gaseous carbon dioxide left over in the cleaning chamber after the wash cycle. In column 7, lines 12 et seq. it is disclosed that contamination, be it organic or particulate, can be removed through decompression, filtration, or a combination of both.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,473 to Jureller, et al. at column 19, lines 60 et seq. also discloses the separation of dirt and spent cleaning agents through decompression. The '473 does not show or claim reclamation of the carbon dioxide
U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,455 to Dewees, et al. illustrates and claims a vaporizer 11 in combination with other equipment. No reclamation apparatus is disclosed or claimed in the '455 patent.
None of the related art discloses or claims an apparatus for reclaiming gaseous carbon dioxide from the cleaning chamber, nor does any of the related art disclose the reclaiming apparatus and process in combination with a distilling and purging process for removing contaminants from the liquid or from the carbon dioxide.